อา
father's younger brother
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- 1 father's younger brother、father's younger sister
- 2 element in Chinese-Thai kinship and personal titles
This word mainly refers to a father's younger brother or sister, without specifying gender. It is also used as a form of address, as an element in Chinese-Thai kinship terms, and as the interjection “ah.”
father's younger brother、father's younger sister
A kinship term for a father's younger sibling, whether male or female. It can also be used to address that person or as a personal reference term.
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อาเป็นน้องสาวของพ่อ aa pen nɔ́ɔŋ sǎaw khɔ̌ɔŋ phɔ̂ɔ My aunt is my father's younger sister. อาเป็นน้องสาวของพ่อ details
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สวัสดีครับอา sawàtdii khráp aa Hello, Uncle/Auntie. สวัสดีครับอา details
element in Chinese-Thai kinship and personal titles
An element of Chinese origin used in Chinese-Thai kinship terms and familiar, respectful forms of address. It normally occurs as part of a fixed term.
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อากง aakoŋ grandpa; grandfather อากง details
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อาม่า aamâa grandma; grandmother อาม่า details
Learning notes
Explanation
As a kinship term, อา refers to a father's younger sibling and does not identify gender. When needed, อาผู้ชาย specifies a man and อาผู้หญิง specifies a woman. It can be used directly to address the relative, combined with a name as in อาแดง, or used by that person as a self-reference when speaking to someone younger. The classifier for people is คน. In terms such as อากง and อาม่า, อา is a Chinese-derived title element; it does not mean “father's younger sibling.” These are best learned as complete kinship terms. The interjection อา is a separate homophone. It represents a vocal reaction whose exact emotion depends on context and delivery.
Usage
It is commonly used when discussing family relationships or addressing a father's younger brother or sister. It may also be extended to a familiar adult of a similar generation. Chinese-Thai families and communities often use terms such as อากง and อาม่า. As an interjection, it appears in conversation and written dialogue to represent reactions such as surprise or realization.
Caution
Do not use อา for every aunt or uncle. A father's older brother is normally ลุง, a father's older sister is ป้า, and a mother's younger sibling is น้า. Also, อาเจียน (“to vomit”) is a single word and does not contain this kinship term as a meaningful component.
Differences from similar words
1 father's younger brother synonyms
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น้า refers to a mother's younger sibling, while อา refers to a father's younger sibling.
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ป้า commonly refers to an aunt older than one's parent. อา refers to a father's younger sibling and does not specify gender.
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ลุง commonly refers to an uncle older than one's parent. อา specifically refers to a father's younger sibling.